Black Man Who Was Beat Unconscious By Arizona Police Files $1.97 Million Lawsuit

Robert Johnson is still recovering from his injuries.

Five officers who savagely beat a Black man in the lobby of an apartment complex in Mesa, Arizona in May have not been charged with a crime. However, the lawyers for 35-year-old Robert Johnson have now filed a $1.97 million lawsuit.

The Associated Press reports that the lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, is against Mesa, Arizona, and the city has 180 days to respond or settle the case. Attorney Benjamin Taylor said, “We are planning to seek justice for Mr. Johnson.”

On May 23, Johnson was in the lobby of an apartment complex, along with Erick Reyes. According to reports, Reyes was trying to enter the apartment complex where his ex-girlfriend lived. The ex called 911 and said he was attempting to “break in” to her home. When police arrived, they told Reyes to sit down, which he did.

According to AZ Central, the officers claim, “An officer approached Johnson in the video and patted him down to ensure that he was not armed. When other officers arrived, after the pat-down, they commanded Johnson to sit down but he refused — and that’s when they punched him repeatedly.”

The Associated Press reported on August 27, “After reviewing hours of video, Scottsdale police said in a statement that investigators determined ‘the use of force was legally authorized and justified’ under state law.” Originally, Johnson was charged with disorderly conduct and hindering. A month later, charges were dropped against him.

22. Scenes From The Demonstration Against Racism At Starbucks

The protest is growing outside the @Starbucks. The woman on the right in the red shirt is 90 years old and told a story about her father who died when she was 9 as a result of racial profiling and police brutality. pic.twitter.com/DxQb5OYtSG

Activists Protest Racial Profiling, Arrests Of Black People In Starbucks

Black Lives Matter activists called for a boycott of the Starbucks coffee chain just days after an employee called the police to arrest two Black men inside a Philadelphia location were not buying anything and wouldn't leave. Despite a number of factors that should have convinced police to show discretion and restraint -- the men were not armed; they were not violent; they did not resist arrest; the White man who they were meeting yelled at the police that the men did nothing wrong; a bystander filmed the entire episode on video -- then men were still taken into custody Thursday.
The video has since gone viral.
https://twitter.com/missydepino/status/984539713016094721
The first of what is expected to be many protests took place April 14 at the Starbucks location in question.